Thread case



B. NARKI THREAD {CASE March 16, 1948.

Filed Dec,. '37,, 1945 IN V EN TOR A/MAl Patented Mar. 16, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THREAD CASE Bettie Narki, Cleveland, Ohio Application December 7, 1945, Serial No. 633,295

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to sewing implements, and particularly to boxes capable of retaining a number of spools of thread therein and having a thread end retaining and cutting portion there- The primary object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive, compact device which permits the free ends of the thread on the several respective spools to be drawn through one central opening of the device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a thread holder with a cutting means to facilitate the removal of lengths of thread of any desired length.

A further object is to construct such thread retainer and cutter so that the free ends of the thread may be easily grasped with the fingers.

Still another object is to construct such device with spool posts that are equipped with friction devices which prevent the spools from freely rotating, except when it is desired to remove some of the thread therefrom.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description and claims, together with th accompanving drawing, in which like parts are referred to and indicated by like reference characters and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of this novel thread case;

Figure 2 is a front end view thereof;

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a portion of the case, taken substantially along the line and in the direction of the arrows 3-3 of the Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged elevation of a portion of the thread retention cutter used with this device;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the retention cutter, taken along the line and in the direction of the arrows 5-5 of the Figure 4;

Figure 6 is another cross-sectional view of the retention cutter, taken along the line and in the direction of the arrows B6 of the Figure 4; and

Figure 7 is an exploded view of a portion of the container, apost mounted therein, the friction device thereon, and a spool of thread,

In the drawing, several spools and the thread thereon are indicated by the reference characters 8 and 9 respectively. The spools and thread do not constitute any part of this invention. They are simply shown in the drawing to illustrate the application of the device.

The container 10 has a hinged lid II, a front end wall l2 and a bottom or base l4. A very satisfactory case suitable for this purpose may be made of plastic, wood, or any other suitable material.

Ascending from the base l4 are several posts l5 which are capable of receiving spools of thread. They are sufficiently spaced apart and positioned to facilitate the insertion and removal of full or empty spools when it is necessary to either remove or replace them, The posts I5 are firmly attachedto the base M, as shown, and have internal threads at their top ends which receive the small friction devices or leaf springs 16. The springs have small holes at their fixed ends through which they are held in place by means of small screws IT, as is clearly shown in the drawing.

The front end wall l2 of the container has a central opening therethrough. The free ends of the thread on the respective spools pass through this opening, as shown.

The retention cutter mounted on this device consists of a small metal plate 2|. It has a central hole therein which is concentric with the aforesaid opening in the front wall [2. A short piece of tube 21 which has an external flange 28 thereon is mounted in the opening and is securely held in place by cement or other suitable means.

The plate 2| fits around the tube 21 and is mounted between the flange 28 and the front end wall l2. Extending outwardly from the sides of the plate 2| are several finger-like blades 22. These blades are resilient and tend to fit closely against the outside surface of the wall l2. They have sufiicient tension to hold the free or loose ends of the thread, as is clearly shown in the Figure 6. The outer end 25 of each of the blade members is turned away from the wall to permit easy and quick insertion of the thread between the blade and the wall. The central lateral portion of the blade is recessed, as shown in the Figure 6, and one edge 24 thereof is sharpened to a cutting edge. This makes it easy for the thread to be removed when desired and also facilitates the cutting of the thread at the desired length.

It should be noted here that the tube 21 pro- Y jects outwardly from the front wall, as is shown in the Figure 3, so that the free end of the thread 9 coming from the opening of the tube 21 may be easily reached. That is, there is sufficient space provided so that a finger may be inserted under the thread and the end removed from the retention cutter. A desired amount of thread may then be drawn through the tube 21. The friction device or spring on the posts prevents the 3 spools from freely turning and tanging the various strands of thread.

Having thus disclosed the invention in its preferred form, it should be understood that the description and illustration thereof are suggestive only and are not to be construed in a limited sense, as there may be many other forms or modifications of the device which also come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a thread case of the type having an opening in an end wall thereof, a combination thread cutter and loose end retainer, comprising a plate having a hole therethrough concentric with the aforesaid opening and attached to the said end wall, a plurality of tensioned blade-like members end wall, said means also including a friction device mounted on the top portion of each of said posts retaining the spools in fixed positions, a spring mounted on each of the posts and engaging the inner surface of the tubular portion of a spool, a retention cutter mounted on the said front Wall, said cutter including tension means capable of holding the free ends of the thread against the front end wall, the said cutter also having a tube portion mounted in the end wall opening and receiving the aforesaid threads and having a plurality of blade members engaging the same, said blades being bent at their outer integral with the said plateextending radially therefrom and abutting the said case end wall, each of the said tensioned blade-like members having a curved portion at the free end thereof for facilitating the insertion thereunder of one of the threads passing through the said opening, each of the said blade-like members also having a cutting edge thereon proximate to the said plate.

2. A thread case, comprising in combination, a front end wall, said end wall having an opening therethrough, a bottom or base, posts mounted on the base retaining a plurality of equally spaced spools-in normally fixed positions, each of said spools having a length of thread thereon, a free end of which passes through the opening in the free-ends and recessed at their central portions, each capable of engaging and cutting one of the aforesaid threads.

BETTIE NARKI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 108,278 Marvell Oct. 11, 1870 820,596 Norwood May 15, 1906 1,660,732 'I'horberg Feb. 28, 1928 1,952,537 De Castro-Barberena Ma1'. 27, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 329,673 Great Britain May 23, 1930 

